Marine Sciences Minor

The minor in marine sciences is designed to allow students access to departmental courses, facilities, and advisors in order to develop marine specializations related to their majors and to prepare for postgraduate study in marine sciences or a related field.

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:

  • take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
  • earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

Core Requirements
One course emphasizing global oceanic processes:3
The Marine Environment 1
Oceanography
One course emphasizing the coastal ocean3
Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science
First-Year Seminar: Change in the Coastal Ocean
North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems
Oceanic Processes in Environmental Systems
Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea
Wetland Hydrology
Marine Biology
Coastal and Estuarine Ecology
Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems
Barrier Island Ecology and Geology
Marine Ecology
or an equivalent course with a focus on the coastal ocean and approved by the director of undergraduate studies
One course featuring practical experience in marine sciences. Choose one from the following four groups:3
Group 1:
Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science
First-Year Seminar: Living with Our Oceans and Atmosphere
North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems
Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea
Coastal and Estuarine Ecology
Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems
Barrier Island Ecology and Geology
Marine Geology
Biological Oceanography
or an equivalent field course approved by the director of undergraduate studies
Group 2:
Environmental Systems Modeling
Geologic and Oceanographic Applications of Geographical Information Systems
Time Series and Spatial Data Analysis
or an equivalent mathematical modeling or data analysis course approved by the director of undergraduate studies
Group 3:
Marine Phytoplankton
or an equivalent laboratory course approved by the director of undergraduate studies
Group 4:
Undergraduate Research in Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences
A marine sciences course of the student’s choosing3
Total Hours12
1

Students may not receive credit for both EMES 103 and EMES 401.  

Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences (EMES) course descriptions.

Special Opportunities in Marine Sciences

Undergraduate Research

The department offers opportunities to undergraduates to conduct directed research in our laboratories. Students work directly with faculty members and may enroll for credit as part of an honors or research project. The liaison for undergraduate research provides information about research opportunities in marine sciences, and assists undergraduates in finding a faculty advisor/research group that matches their interests.

Experiential Education

There are three opportunities for experiential education in Marine Sciences:

  • EMES 220 is taught during Maymester at the main campus with one week at the UNC–Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC.
  • EMES 395 can be taken with the permission of a faculty advisor.
  • EMES 472 is taught at the UNC–Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC, during the summer session and provides an experience in the field.

Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences

Visit Program Website

Murray and Mitchell Halls

Chair

Eric Kirby

ekirby@unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Kevin Stewart

KGSTEWAR@email.unc.edu

Undergraduate Student Services Manager

Heratia Brelland

heratiab@unc.edu